(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alarm system for use in monitoring the temperature of a liquid, herein milk, contained in a storage reservoir, and wherein the system further provides a display of the temperature of the liquid and being capable of monitoring equipment and detectors associated with the storage container or the environmental area of the container.
(b) Description of Prior Art
It is well known that when storing certain liquids, such as milk, it is essential to maintain the liquid within certain temperature ranges in order to prevent degradation or contamination of the liquid by bacteria growth. In order to do this, the container is usually refrigerated and a temperature probe or thermometer is conveniently secured to the reservoir to indicate the temperature of the liquid. However, it is not possible to continuously monitor this temperature or the working conditions of other devices associated with the reservoir, such as the agitator, motors, the refrigeration system, etc. as it is labor intensive. Consequently, it often occurs that the entire content of the reservoir must be discarded when the liquid has exceeded certain temperatures caused by equipment malfunctions. Also, food and drug administration guidelines are quite stringent and close tolerances must be observed.